Creek Fishing With Ultralight Fishing Rods!
This question comes up often. What length rod should I use for ultralight creek fishing? It isn't an easy answer though. There is a couple things to consider about length when choosing a new rod. Some people believe that you must use a short rod in the 4 1/2 foot to 5 foot length. They believe that this length gives you the most whip, and backbone for fighting the fish. This is a common misconception however.
Rods of this length are usually used solely for creek fishing, or places where there is a lot of overhead hanging cover for baits to get stuck in. These short rods do provide excellent placement, but they also degrade casting distance severely. These provide the shortest casts of all lengths of rods.
Ultralight creek fishing rods in the lengths of 5 1/2 foot to 6 foot are found in the middle when thinking about balance. The tip still allows good casting distance, while the backbone gives plenty of strength for fighting the fish. You don't sacrifice much accuracy with this length, you can still use it as a light action flipping stick, or pitching stick for 1/4oz jigs in tight places. This is a technique for smaller fish on ultralight gear however, use bigger gear for the bigger fish locked into the muck!
